Exciting news this week from The Skinny Food Co, we recently had the pleasure of working with Loughborough University second-year students, who were tasked with creating a brand-new product to innovate and appeal to Gen-Z consumers. 

The students were then required to present their pitches and reasonings why they believed the product would be a success. 

Marketing Lecturer, Rachael Mabe took to LinkedIn to commemorate her students for their outstanding work stating "Our students rose to the challenge and delivered some fantastic pitches, which ranged from mocktails, granola, buffalo wings and high protein ice cream, to pasta sauce, smoothies, healthy crisps, cereal and baby food".

All of the students did exceptionally well, but from all of groups that presented, winners were chosen & selected based on their unique ideas, their presentation skills and their demonstration of research and knowledge. 

Here's some info on our selected winners, and how their products & pitches impressed us:

1) Mocktails by Helen Wilcockson 

A Brief Introduction to 'Pre Mixed Mocktails' Product Proposal

Helen presented her idea of Pre Mixed Mocktails, which would be in keeping with The Skinny Food Co's values by being low in sugar, low in calories and also gluten-free. 

Reasoning behind the product

Helen considered multiple reasonings behind the extension of the cocktail/mocktail line of products. She also believed that this would be an easy extension as there are similar formulas that exist and could be incorporated into a brand new line. 

Helen also stated "The Skinny Mocktail line would represent a strategic entry into the ready-to-drink beverage category, with future avenues potentially including canned iced coffee and vegan milkshakes."

What research was done?

Helens dedicated to her research shows, as she looked at a variety of secondary data sources, including market research reports from a wide variety of companies. 

Alongside considering the consumer attitudes towards low & no alcohol consumption, particularly amongst younger demographics. 

How did Helen find the task? 

"Working on a live business case was a great opportunity to apply the knowledge accumulated within my other modules, and it was very rewarding knowing we had the potential to make a tangible contribution to Skinny Food Co. Following our in-person presentations to James and Wayne, I am excited to see Skinny Mocktails actualised" 

Helen Wilcockson - BSc Marketing & Management 

2) Cereal by Gaurav Vasnani & Yasmin Greer

A brief introduction to 'Cereal Product Proposal' 

In Group 15, was Gaurav & Yasmin, who came up with the idea of a rice-based cereal that was both low in calories and high in protein, in keeping with some of The Skinny Food Co's core values. 

The duo decided that there would be 4 core flavours for the cereal products: 

• Milk Chocolate
• White Chocolate
• Honey 
• Cinnamon 

Gaurav stated that "The idea is to have the cereal pre-portioned in individual boxes because we know that many consumers within our target market have strict dietary requirements. We wanted the product to be focused on students and young people entering the workforce as these are people who don’t usually have much time to make a nutritious breakfast every day."

Reasoning behind the product

The team believed there was "an evident gap in the market" were cereal products contained high-sugar content, and little cereals focused on a healthier affordable alternative. 

They supported their decision making with statistical data of Gen Z'ers who consumed cereal and believe The Skinny Food Co would be able to infiltrate this market easily as they already develop products such as rice-cereal bars. 

What research was done? 

Both Gaurav & Yasmin conducted extensive research into Gen- Z buying behaviours alongside researching how The Skinny Food Co could package and sell the product. 

How did the team enjoy the task? 

Gaurav said "I really enjoyed this task. It was an incredible opportunity to apply what I learned in my marketing and professional skills lecture into a real business problem. I also loved being able to work together in a team, bounce ideas of off other people and create a solution that we all believed in. A huge thank you to the Skinny Food Company for this opportunity".

Gaurav Vasnani - BSc Management 

3) Pasta Sauce by Tilly Sawyer

A brief introduction to 'Pasta Sauce Product Proposal' 

Tilly's team had decided to propose a Pasta Sauce product range, which would be designed to appeal more to Gen Z, focusing on introduction a range of pasta sauces which are typically higher in calories such as: 

• Carbonara 
• Alfredo 
• Pesto

The team was also keen on creating appealing packaging which was more targeted towards Gen Z consumers. 

Reasoning behind the product

"Pasta is such a staple student dish, and not enough students realise how many calories are in the pre-made sauces that they buy" says Tilly

The team believed this would be an excellent opportunity for The Skinny Food Co to develop as we already had such experience in developing deliciously low-calorie, low-sugar sauces. 

Research behind the product

The team conducted primary research by distributing questionnaires across popular Social Media platforms to gather insight into what their fellow peers would think of this potential product development, and which sauces would preform best. 

How did Tilly find the Project? 

"I thoroughly enjoyed the task and felt like it was such a great way to apply all the material we were learning in the module to a real life project!"

Tilly Sawyer - BSc International Business

To summarise, all the students who took part in this challenge did exceptionally well, and seriously impressed all of us here at The Skinny Food Co. 

With the winner Helen Wilcockson's product of pre-canned mocktail mixers being chosen to be produced, packaged and distributed. 

We were blown away by the sheer amount of individual and unique ideas that were presented to us. 

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank all who were involved in the business challenge day, from students to lecturers!